In Memory of Alfred Irving
Alfred Irving (‘Booming’) (1899–1918): Alfred was born in Georgetown, British Guiana, on April 19th, 1899. He was the son of Dr. Major (his name) Henry Court Irving L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S. and Ann (‘Annie’) Irving (née Farrar). Alfred was called ‘Booming’ by his parents because of the noise he made around the house as a small boy. Like his brother, David, Alfred went to Epsom College and Royal Military College, Sandhurst and captained the Cricket IXs at Epsom and Sandhurst. He was described in the Epsomian magazine as a cricketer who ‘Shows promise as a wicket-keeper. Quick scorer with a useful off drive.’
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cond-Lieutenant Alfred Irving was gazetted in 1917 and served with the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs. Alfred was later attached to the 14th King George’s Own Ferozepore Sikhs, and took part in General Allenby’s campaign in Palestine. It was while serving there that he was killed in action at Mushag, Mesopotamia (now Iraq), on Saturday October 26th, 1918, only three days before Turkey’s capitulation and fifteen days before the Armistice, while attempting to help a wounded sepoy during an attack on a Turkish position.
An officer in Alfred’s regiment provided the following account to Annie and Henry of what happened:
I can give you [referring to Alfred’s parents] most of the details of Irving’s death: the 14th Sikhs & the Highland Light Infantry were one of the Columns pursuing the Turks at the finish. We were in another Column close by: The 14th Sikhs & the H.L.I. [Highland Light Infantry] through some faulty staff work were caught bending on the night of the 26th October 1918 by the Turks—they were moving along a road something like this:
The road was commanded by M.G’s & Field Artillery and on either side was dense grass 4 or 5 feet high. Through the grass a thick belt of wire ran, but was not visible: The road was left open: The 10th Gurkhas were moving along the hill—the wire was seen & reported by the H.L.I. advance guard, but orders were received to push on as no Turks were reported there; the force was pushing on in Columns of fours, & the Turks allowed the Advance Guard to proceed & then when the Columns were abreast of the wire, opened with M.G.s on the flank & had about 700 men down in 10 minutes. The force extended as best it could, but remember, it was pitch dark. Irving was sent with some Lewis guns to work round the rear & try & get on the hills, so as to get the Turkish M.G.s on the flank—so really he had the best chance of escaping the massacre. He was working round, when a M.G. bullet caught the tip of his fingers— he swung half round, shaking his hand like one does if one hurts ones hand. As he turned he was hit in the side by 4 M.G. bullets, which must have traversed his body & heart, for he fell without a sound & could have felt nothing: a bullet through the heart is the most merciful of all sudden deaths. He was buried in one of the most beautiful of spots I have ever seen. A little sort of garden shaded by trees, about a mile from where he fell & the Brigade Padre read the burial service over him & blessed the graves; two or three other British Officers lie with him & these brave men sleep together within 400 yards of the R. Tigris, on the slope of the hill. The graves are known & will probably be marked some day. At the present, it is impossible as the Arabs rob the graves. Irving was very much liked in the 14th. I knew the Regiment well; they are a glorious lot, & such a topping crowd of British officers, all sahibs. The name of the place (where his grave is) is Mushag, and is about 160 miles north of Baghdad.
A vivid account of Alfred’s death was recorded by No. 4853 Sepoy Santa Singh of the 14th King George’s Own Ferozepore Sikhs, to which Alfred was attached, and was sent to Alfred’s parents by the Adjutant of his regiment. Part of Sepoy Santa Singh’s account reads:
The place where I was lying was quite safe as it had a natural cover from the enemy’s fire, but Lieut. Irving would have to pass the place where I was hit to come to see me. He insisted on coming to see me to bind my wound and give me water. He started in my direction and when he was about 15 yards away from me was hit. I called him by name several times, but alas, he did not answer me. I discovered he had been hit by four machine-gun bullets somewhere above the hip. He never moved again. [1]
During the four years of the British campaign in Mesopotamia, the deaths in action and from disease amounted to 1,340 officers and 29,767 other ranks.
Alfred is remembered with honour at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Basra, Iraq, together with 40,000 British, Indian and West African servicemen, who died in operations from the autumn of 1914 to the end of August 1921. The Basra Memorial is located 32 kilometres along the road to Nasiriyah, in the middle of what was a major battleground during the Gulf War. Grave reference/panel number: Panel 52. Their Name Liveth For Evermore.
By Richard Farrar
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[1] Sepoy Santa Singh’s account of Alfred’s heroic effort to help him is almost certainly more accurate than the previous account provided to Alfred’s parents by the officer in his regiment, because it was dark at the time and he was closer to where Alfred was cut down.